What is humoral immunity?

Humoral immunity is a means by which the body protects against infection by creating antibodies that target a foreign material in the bloodstream, which is considered potentially dangerous, which refers to it for destruction. It is part of an adaptive immune system that is activated in response to a particular threat, unlike a congenital immune system that is constantly active but less effective. The second part of the adaptive system is cellular or cellular immunity in which the cells release toxins to kill or attack the attackers directly, without involving antibodies. Together, humoral and cellular immunity are designed to prevent the body from preventing a wide range of threats that could endanger it.

How does it work

This form of immunity begins in specialized white blood cells known as B-cells that are produced by bone marrow. They recognize antigens, which are certain molecules - such as some proteins - on the surface of the virus or bacterium. There are different types of B-cells, ofwhich each is designed to respond to a particular antigen. When someone meets, the B-cell multiplies and produces a huge number of individuals who release antibodies designed to attach the antigen to the invasive organism; Basically, they turn into small antibody factories in the blood and float to focus on as many attackers as possible. Once these antibodies are marked, attackers will be destroyed by other immune cells.

6 People are born with a set of congenital immune responses that are designed to recognize a wide range of cells and organisms that could pose a threat to the body, but humoral immunity is obtained by viruses, bacteria and other substances that can cause damage. Over time, the body accumulates more "memories" of previous attacks by harmful microorganisms.

Long -term immunity

humoral immune response can cause permanent immunity to manyand infectious agents. When the body gets under an attack from the agent - such as a virus - which has not met before, it must start from scratch and usually take several days to mount an effective immune response. During this time, the virus can rape uncontrolled and cause infection that can cause unpleasant and perhaps dangerous symptoms. Only when the body has created a large number of suitable antibodies can the infection fight. However, if it meets this virus again, it will usually be much better prepared by detention of B-cells made in response to the previous attack and will be able to work immediately to eliminate the attacker.

Vaccination

This immune "memory" is also how vaccination and immunization work. People can be injected dead or inactivated forms of dangerous virus or bacteria that will stimulate a humoral immune response without a threat to the body. If this person is exposed to a real agent in the future, there should be an immediate immunea reaction that removes it before it can cause any serious damage.

Vaccination is more effective for some types of infection than for others. The global vaccination program for smallpox virus managed to bring its complete extinction in the wild because it was not able to find a human host who was not immune. Unfortunately, some viruses quickly mutate and cause changes in compounds on their surfaces that the humoral immune system uses to recognize them. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly develop new influenza vaccines. People vaccinated against this rapidly mutation virus does not have to be immune to the new tribe for the next year, because the chemicals on its surface have changed and will not be recognized as B-cell antigens.

Immune system problems

When people develop problems with their humoral immunity, they are more susceptible to the development of infection and illness. Conditions such as HIV are attacking the immune system directly to make it less functional. Immunity can also be ohRožena using certain drugs such as chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer and medicines used to prepare people for organ transplantation. In individuals who have endanger immune systems, aggressive and rapid treatment of any infection is decisive to avoid endangering the body with something it cannot fight with.

Another problem that may occur in the immune system is an autoimmune disease. Normally, the system is able to chemically distinguish between substances that are part of the body, and those that are not, and will only respond to “foreign” subpos. Sometimes, however, the system can mount the immune response to something that is a normal cellular component in the body and treat it in the same way as the attacking organism. This results in tissue damage and is responsible for a number of serious diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and celiac disease.

Origin of the term

The term "humoral immunity" comes from the fact that this type of immunity is mediated by cells that hover in the bloodand lymph or "humor" of the body. When scientists first began to explore the concept in the 18th century, many of them believed in medical theories reaching until antiquity, which included the idea that the balance of the body was maintained by substances that flowed through the body and caused various effects. While the theory of humor has been revealed since then, it persists in medical terminology.